preventive

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /pɹɪˈvɛntɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #41209

Meanings

1

adj
Intended to stop something bad, especially illness, from happening.

Regular checkups are an important form of preventive medicine.
2

noun
Something that helps stop an illness or problem from happening.

Washing your hands is a simple preventive against infection.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · intended to stop something... prophylactic preventative

2 noun · something that helps stop... preventative

Word family

Forms preventives

Derived forms angiopreventivechemopreventiveimmunopreventivenonpreventivepathopreventivepreventivelypreventivenesspreventivistrenopreventiveunpreventive

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

preventive medicine
medical work focused on preventing illness before it develops

Adjective + noun

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin praeventīvus. Equivalent to prevent + -ive.

praeventīvus la-new

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# preventive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /pɹɪˈvɛntɪv/
**Frequency rank:** 41209

## Meanings
1. Intended to stop something bad, especially illness, from happening.
2. Something that helps stop an illness or problem from happening.

## Examples
- Regular checkups are an important form of preventive medicine.
- Washing your hands is a simple preventive against infection.

## Synonyms
- prophylactic

## Derived Forms
- angiopreventive
- chemopreventive
- immunopreventive
- nonpreventive
- pathopreventive
- preventively
- preventiveness
- preventivist
- renopreventive
- unpreventive

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: praeventīvus

## Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin praeventīvus. Equivalent to prevent + -ive.

## AI Etymology
Preventive was borrowed from New Latin praeventīvus. Equivalent to prevent + -ive. The historical chain includes praeventīvus (la-new). In present-day English it covers intended to stop something bad, especially illness, from happening and something that helps stop an illness or problem from happening. The wider family includes derived forms such as angiopreventive, chemopreventive, immunopreventive, nonpreventive, pathopreventive.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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